Wednesday, September 23, 2009

America's Most Wanted criminal nabbed in Belize

derrick-yancey-250 BELMOPAN, Belize, September 23, 2009 - A former United States deputy sheriff, featured on the popular television series America's Most Wanted, has been captured in Belize and is to be extradited to face trial for murdering his wife and another man a year ago.

Derrick Yancey was caught over the weekend in a bar in Punta Gorda, the largest town in southern Belize, just days after the US  Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service acted on a lead that he was hiding out in that Caribbean country.

Deputy Officer in Charge at the Punta Gorda Police Station, Inspector Andres Makin, said Yancey was taken into custody without incident.

Yancey was an officer with the Sheriff's Office in Dekalb County, Georgia when he was charged with murdering his wife Linda Yancey, 44, and 20-year-old labourer Marcial Cax Puluc in August 2008.

He had called into his own department to report that he had shot and killed Puluc in self defence after discovering that the young man had robbed, shot and killed his wife.

But police say ballistic tests show Yancey was responsible for both murders.

He was charged with two counts of murder, and released on US$150,000 bond while he awaited trial, under the condition that he be confined to house arrest. But Yancey escaped house arrest from his mother's home on the morning of April 4th, 2009.

Police say he cut off his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet before fleeing.

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